Criminal Justice: Strategic Plan 2004–08

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Earlier today, the Government published Command Paper 6288, entitled Cutting Crime—Delivering Justice: Strategic Plan for Criminal Justice 2004–08. Copies of the paper have been placed in the Library of the House.
	The strategic plan for criminal justice sets out the Government's vision for the criminal justice system (CJS) and how we aim to achieve it, combining forces across the Home Office, the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the law officers' departments.
	The plan focuses on how we will provide a better service to victims and witnesses of crime, increase the number of offences brought to justice, tackle offenders who fail to comply with court dates, fines and sentences and improve the way criminal justice agencies work together. This is closely linked to our overall approach to preventing crime and reducing reoffending, which is set out in a parallel document, the Home Office strategic plan.
	The Government are committed to ongoing reform of the criminal justice system. The CJS strategic plan explains how much has already been achieved: huge steps have been made to establish joint working across the CJS—largely through the success of the 42 local criminal justice boards across England and Wales and the strong leadership of the National Criminal Justice Board. We know these changes are working because we are seeing improvements on the ground. Overall, crime is down by 25 per cent since 1997. Seven per cent more offences are being brought to justice in the past two years. The number of Crown Court trials that fail to go ahead on the day scheduled has fallen by 25 per cent. The number of assets recovered in the past three years has doubled. Public confidence in criminal justice was falling sharply: we have turned this around.
	We have achieved a great deal, but there are still some real issues to tackle. The CJS strategic plan outlines our key objectives for reform, structured around a vision of the delivery of criminal justice in 2008. To achieve this vision, we need to improve the way agencies work together to support and protect victims and witnesses; we need to increase further the number of offenders brought to justice; we need to tackle offenders who fail to comply with court dates, fines and sentences; and we need to continue progress towards fully joined-up working, including providing the CJS with the information technology it needs to work effectively.
	The goal of these reforms is to deliver a service that responds better to the needs of the communities it is there to serve.
	Improved service for victims and witnesses is at the heart of this. By the end of next year, in all cases where someone is charged with an offence, the victims and witnesses will be offered support by a witness care unit, to make it more likely that they attend court and give evidence. Over the period, Crown Court buildings will have separate waiting facilities for prosecution and defence victims and witnesses. The Victims Fund, which will pay for better support services for victims, will also be boosted by a surcharge on all criminals who are convicted.
	The public also need to know that the offenders will be brought to book and respect for the law will be maintained. The CJS strategic plan sets out how the prosecution will take responsibility for charging, co-operating earlier with the police to identify the correct charge for the offence. It also describes innovative measures to crack down on those who fail to turn up at court or comply with fines and community penalties. Those who breach bail can now expect action to be taken straight away, and to be punished for this whatever the decision on the original case. We are working hard to make sure that every offender who defaults on their fine is pursued and made to pay it. With our measures on asset recovery it will be the criminal who pays, not the community. Our approach includes: increased powers for frontline enforcement staff including search and entry, and new measures and sanctions from the Courts Act 2003 to help to recoup fines, including attachment of earnings and deduction of state benefits, and car clamping. By rolling out direct access to the police national computer (PNC) for all magistrates' courts by autumn 2004, we will enable police officers to identify whether an offender is on the run from court or defaulting on a fine or community sentence.
	We will also pilot the community justice centre concept in north Liverpool, bringing new approaches to tackle the low level crime and anti-social behaviour which can make communal life miserable; and to reach offenders and their problems before they progress to serious crime. Court sentences will combine punishment with support to help offenders to kick their crime habit. The community will be involved in helping to steer people away from crime.
	To achieve all these goals we need to work in close partnership across the justice system. The development of the National Criminal Justice Board and local criminal justice boards has made great strides in delivering a more seamless service and better outcomes. To build on this, we are announcing today that, in future, joint working across the CJS will be further strengthened by the establishment of the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on a cross-departmental basis. This implements the recommendations of a recent review of CJS capacity published in a parallel document, Criminal Justice Reform: Working Together. This means that the teams driving progress on shared CJS targets will in future report on an equal basis to the Home Office, Department for Constitutional Affairs and the law officers' departments. Establishing the Office for Criminal Justice Reform as a shared resource serving all three departments builds on the firm foundations of what we have achieved, and is a powerful symbol of our resolve to work together effectively to deliver better services for the public.

Serious Fraud Office

Lord Goldsmith: The annual report of the Serious Fraud Office has today been published and laid before Parliament. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF)

Lord Bach: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Geoffrey Hoon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am pleased to announce that we have decided to extend the future aircraft carrier (CVF) programme assessment phase. This extension will enable us to carry out further risk reduction work and increase the maturity of the design prior to making our main investment decision on demonstration and manufacture (D&M). In line with Smart acquisition principles by spending the right amount of time and money in the assessment phase, we will gain a better understanding of the technical and supply-side risks before we make any major commitments. We had planned to complete this risk reduction work within the original demonstration phase. The underlying programme has not been adjusted, but rather the point at which we make the main investment decision has shifted.
	We anticipate moving into the D&M phase during 2005, following the main gate decision. At this point we intend to finalise performance, time and cost parameters of the carriers. These will continue to be refined during the remainder of the assessment phase. Our target in-service dates (ISD) for the CVF remain 2012 and 2015. When built, the two vessels will be the largest and most powerful warships ever constructed in the United Kingdom.
	We have also agreed the alliancing principles with industry for the CVF programme which confirms the commitment of all parties to the programme and to an alliance based on commercial best practice. The alliancing principles will provide the most effective way of managing risk and reward and will bring together all parties with a vested financial interest, thus ensuring that we deliver CVF collaboratively. We will now discuss and agree the detailed alliancing arrangements with industry, including the roles and responsibilities of alliance members.

Gulf War 1990–91: Veterans Mortality Data

Lord Bach: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	As part of the Government's continuing commitment to investigate Gulf veterans' illnesses openly and honestly, data on the mortality of veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict are regularly published. The most recent figures for the period 1 April 1991 to 30 June 2004, were published on 14 July 2004. The tables from that publication are set out below. Table 1 gives the causes of death to UK Gulf veterans over that period; table 2 shows the deaths due to malignant cancers among Gulf veterans. As with previous information, the data for Gulf veterans are compared with those of a control group known as the era cohort which is made up of Armed Forces personnel of a similar age, gender, service, regular/reservist status and rank who were not deployed to the Gulf.
	Key points to note are:
	there were 663 deaths among Gulf veterans up to 30 June 2004 compared to 675 in the era comparison group; and
	approximately 1,032 deaths would have been expected in a similar sized group taken from the general population of the UK with the same age and gender profile.
	
		Table 1: Deaths to UK Gulf Veterans1 April 1991–30 June 2004 -- Causes2
		
			 ICD Chapter Cause of death Gulf Era Mortality Rate Ratio 95% Confidence Interval 
			  All deaths 663 675 0.98 (0.88–1.09) 
			  All cause coded deaths 647 652 0.99 (0.88–1.10) 
			 I–XVIII Disease related causes 285 341 0.83 (0.71–0.98) 
			 I Certain infectious and parasitic diseases 6 3 1.99 (0.43–12.30) 
			 II Neoplasms 129 141 0.91 (0.71–1.16) 
			 V Mental and behavioural disorders 11 17 0.64 (0.27–1.46) 
			 VI Diseases of the nervous system 10 11 0.90 (0.34–2.35) 
			 IX Diseases of the circulatory system 97 121 0.80 (0.60–1.05) 
			 X Diseases of the respiratory system 10 6 1.66 (0.55–5.55) 
			 XI Diseases of the digestive system 16 23 0.69 (0.34–1.37) 
			 III, IV, 
			 XII–XVIII All other disease related causes3 6 19 0.31 (0.10–0.82) 
			 XX External causes of mortality 362 311 1.16 (0.99–1.35) 
			  Transport accidents: 167 127 1.31 (1.03–1.66) 
			  Land transport accident:4 136 106 1.28 (0.98–1.66) 
			  Pedestrian 16 6 2.65 (0.99–8.28) 
			  Motorcycle rider 34 28 1.21 (0.71–2.07) 
			  Car occupant 42 30 1.39 (0.85–2.31) 
			  Other4 44 42 1.04 (0.67–1.63) 
			  Water transport 5 1 4.98 (0.56 235.33) 
			  Air and space transport 26 20 1.29 (0.69–2.44) 
			  Other external causes of accidental injury: 67 59 1.13 (0.78–1.63) 
			  Falls 7 6 1.16 (0.33–4.18) 
			  Exposure to inanimate mechanical forces 12 14 0.85 (0.36–1.99) 
			  Accidental drowning and submersion and other accidental threats to breathing 13 6 216 (0.76–6.92) 
			  Accidental poisoning by and exposure to noxious substances 15 15 1.00 (0.45–2.18) 
			  Accidental exposure to other and unspecified factors 16 12 1.33 (0.59–3.07) 
			  Other 4 6 0.66 (0.14–2.80) 
			  Intentional self-harm and events of undetermined intent5 121 110 1.09 (0.84–1.43) 
			  Assault 5 9 0.55 (0.15–1.84) 
			  Legal intervention and operations of war 2 2 1.00 (0.07–13.73) 
			  Sequelae of external causes of morbidity and mortality 0 2 0.00 (0.00–5.30) 
			  Deaths where the inquest has been Adjourned 0 2   
			  Other deaths for which cause data are not yet available 12 19   
			  Overseas deaths for which cause data are not available 4 4   
		
	
	Notes: 1. Service and ex-Service personnel only.
	2. Causes have been coded to the World Health Organisation's International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision (ICD–10), 1992.
	3. Includes cases with insufficient information on the death certificate to provide a known cause of death.
	4. Under ICD–10 coding if the death certificate does not specifically mention the type of vehicle that was involved in the accident, the death is coded to "motor- or non-motor vehicle accident, type of vehicle unspecified". (35 deaths to Gulf veterans compared to 33 in the era group)
	5. These events have been given a coroner's verdict of suicide or open verdict death. It includes one death which has been coded to F11.1 by ONS. This death has been excluded from the mental and behavioural disorders.
	
		Table 2: Deaths to UK Gulf veterans due to neoplasms: 1 April 1991– 30 June 2004 -- Major cancer sites and specific sites with at least 5 deaths in one of the cohorts
		
			 ICD Cancer site Gulf Era Mortality Rate Ratio 95% Confidence Interval 
			 C00–D48 Neoplasms 129 141 0.91 (0.71–1.16) 
			 COO–C99 Malignant Neoplasms (MN) 126 138 0.91 (0.71–1.17) 
			 COO–C14 MN of lip, oral cavity and pharynx 6 4 1.49 (0.35–7.19) 
			 C15–C26, 
			 C48 MN of digestive organs and peritoneum 29 35 0.82 (0.49–1.39) 
			 C15 MN of oesophagus 9 5 1.79 (0.54–6.80) 
			 C18 MN of colon 4 14 0.28 (0.07–0.91) 
			 C25 MN of pancreas 5 6 0.83 (0.20–3.26) 
			 C30–C39, 
			 C45 MN of respiratory and intrathoracic organs 19 30 0.63 (0.34–1.57) 
			 C34 MN of bronchus and lung 16 26 0.61 (0.31–1.19) 
			 C40–C44, 
			 C47, 
			 C49 C50 MN of bone, connective tissue, skin and breast 15 12 1.24 (0.54–2.91) 
			   
			 C43 Malignant melanoma of skin 7 5 1.39 (0.38–5.57) 
			 C51–C68 MN of genitourinary organs 5 7 0.71 (0.18–2.60) 
			 C69–C80 MN of other and unspecified sites 26 34 0.76 (0.44–1.31) 
			 C71 MN of brain 17 20 0.85 (0.42–1.70) 
			 C80 MN without specification of site 8 11 0.72 (0.25–1.98) 
			 C81–C96 MN of lymphatic and haematopoietic tissue 26 16 1.62 (0.84–3.23) 
			 C81–C85, 
			 C91.4, C96 Lymphomas 13 9 1.44 (0.57–3.81) 
			 C82–C85, 
			 C91.4, C96 Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 9 6 1.49 (0.47–5.10) 
			 C91–C95 
			 excl C91.4 Leukaemias 11 6 1.82 (0.62–6.01) 
			 C92 Myeloid leukaemia 8 4 1.99 (0.53–9.03) 
			 D00–D48 In situ neoplasms, benign neoplasms and neoplasms of uncertain behaviour or 
			 unspecified nature 3 3 1.00 (0.13–7.43)

Planning Inspectorate: Annual Report and Accounts 2003–04

Lord Rooker: My right honourable friend the Minister for Housing and Planning has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I have today laid before the House a copy of the Planning Inspectorate's annual report and accounts for 2003–04.
	The report gives an overview of the performance of the inspectorate and highlights the ways in which it is contributing to the Government's planning reform agenda. It demonstrates the importance of a credible, accessible planning tribunal service which is open, transparent and impartial.
	Copies of the Report have been made available in the Library of the House.

Regional Planning Guidance: Ashford Growth Area

Lord Rooker: My right honourable friend the Minister for Housing and Planning has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister is today publishing the alterations to chapter 12 of the regional planning guidance for the south-east on the Ashford growth area. This follows the public examination into the draft alterations in December 2003, the panel report in February 2004 and the consultation on the Secretary of State's proposed changes that closed on 17 June 2004.
	The alterations represent a revision to the regional planning guidance for the south-east (RPG9), as published in March 2001. On commencement of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act the alterations will be part of a statutory regional special strategy (RSS).
	The alterations aim to achieve sustainable growth in Ashford, which was identified as a growth area in RPG9. They set out the scale and form of development at Ashford to 2016, and form a special framework for the preparation of local planning documents and other relevant policy documents.
	The consultation period for the proposed changes to the draft alterations ended on the 17 June with 40 responses from individuals or organisations. These mainly related to issues which had already been raised at the public examination and therefore only minor changes to the proposed alterations have been made.

Intellectual Property: Creative Industries Forum

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: I am pleased to inform the House that the Government are setting up a creative industries forum on intellectual property. This will be a cross-governmental body, with ministerial representation, and jointly chaired by me and my right honourable friend the Minister for the Arts (Estelle Morris), who is making a similar Statement to the House of Commons. I am pleased to say that there will also be strong representation from the private sector, both from the creative industries themselves and from other key industry stakeholders such as Internet service providers and hardware manufacturers. Consumers will also be represented.
	The forum will be a chance for a dialogue on intellectual property issues, such as business models, education and awareness raising, strategies for maximising the opportunities for the creative industries in a digital environment, while also addressing the challenges such as file-sharing and piracy.
	The launch and first meeting of the forum is taking place on 19 July at the London College of Communication, Elephant and Castle. Industry has warmly welcomed the initiative.
	It is anticipated that the forum will work through meetings that will set tasks and objectives to be taken forward. There is intended to be a focus on outputs and deliverables, and I am confident that this will represent a significant development in an area crucial to the UK's future competitiveness.
	Terms of reference and membership of the forum will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses shortly.

Plutonium and Uranium: UK Civil Stocks

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Nigel Griffiths) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The department will be placing the figures for the United Kingdom's stocks of civil plutonium and uranium as at 31 December 2003 in the Library of the House. In accordance with our commitment under the Guidelines for the Management of Plutonium, we will also be sending the figures to the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who will circulate them to member states in due course. The figures will be available on the department's and the IAEA's websites.
	The figures show that stocks of unirradiated plutonium in the UK totalled 96.3 tonnes at the end of 2003. Changes from the corresponding figures for 2002 are a consequence of continuing reprocessing operations (e.g. as reflected in the increased quantity of unirradiated separated plutonium in product stores at reprocessing plants). Other smaller changes are the result of material being allocated to UK fuel. The decrease in unirradiated separated plutonium held elsewhere is due to both Thorp and Magnox reprocessing plants being close to empty during December 2003 whereas they were operating over that period in the proceeding year. The decrease in the civil depleted, natural and low enriched uranium figures reflects the change in requirements for these materials at the fuel fabrication plants and reactors.